Most of us have experienced the beauty of a garden pond at some time. The addition of a pond can create a landscape that is both relaxing and calming. A backyard pond creates its own microclimate within your garden and gives pleasure to your friends and family. However, did you know that a garden pond can also be beneficial to local wildlife?

Many species of fauna may enjoy the benefits that your pond can provide depending on where you live. Butterflies, birds, turtles, snails, fish, frogs and bugs all have something to gain from access to a pond. By attracting this type of wildlife, you can add to the enjoyment that your pond will bring you.

Humans Love Ponds Too

When you widen the term “local wildlife” to include your friends and family, you’ll see that there are many benefits to making a pond in your garden. There are proven health benefits associated with practicing relaxation techniques, and spending time by a garden pond is certainly a relaxing endeavor. If you feel yourself becoming stressed, walking around your garden pond and listening to the trickle of water may be just the thing you need to turn your bad day into a good one.

A backyard pond can enrich your life. Ponds and water features can create an exciting new environment for your family; they can be a haven of relaxation or a scientific way to educate your children about the ecosystem in your garden.

Pond Pets

Backyard ponds can even provide an environment for special pets. Koi make interesting pets that will adapt to life in a back yard pond. Koi are closely related to carp, and they can grow to be up to 36 inches long. Koi can be very long living fish – up to 50 years – so koi keeping should not be taken up lightly.

However, if you can make the commitment to care for your koi, they can add to the relaxation and tranquility of your pond. Watching these graceful fish swim and interact with each other is a peaceful experience.

Designing Your Garden Pond

Due to the popularity of ponds, you will find pond kits in most nurseries or garden centers that will include easy instructions on how to build a garden pond. Would prefer to have a professional handle the installation? Many landscaping firms will be able to construct a garden pond for you and by grabbing your copy of “How To Build A Pond” you’ll be better equipped to discuss your requirements and have an understanding of garden pond design.

Tagged as: backyard pond, build a garden pond, build a pond, how to build a pond

As the people of Cockermouth reel from the flooding of “biblical” proportions which has hit their community, gales blow and rain pours in other parts of Britain. Meanwhile insurance companies are pulling out all the stops to ensure that clients are given every assistance in making a claim and coping with the fallout.

Direct Line for instance has Property Insurance Advisors on site in many locations this weekend to help those affected. They will be giving advice and authorising repairs and alternative accommodation. Extra staff have also been called in to work in call centres, although even with the increased workforce it was expected that callers would have to wait to be attended to, in view of the numbers of homeowners affected by the dreadful conditions.

Meanwhile Mark Christopher of MORE TH>N advised clients to minimise the stress caused by this natural disaster by making the most of the professional expertise offered by their highly trained staff.

Halifax Home Insurance had earlier issued advice to policy holders to attempt as far as possible to minimise damage to property by taking preventative measures.

The Environment Agency’s website offers extensive advice on what to do in case of a flood: everything from finding out whether you live in an area which is at risk, how to be prepared and how to make a flood plan, how to sign up for flood warnings (either by means of phone, e-mail, SMS text, fax or pager), staying safe if it does flood and what to do in the aftermath.

Florida residents have been battling high homeowners insurance premiums for some time now, but unfortunately prices are set to increase even higher with recent approval to increase the state’s windstorm coverage. Citizens Property Insurance Corp., Florida’s state-provided homeowners insurance company, has been approved by state regulators to increase insurance average rates by 5.2 percent.

Continuous Increases on the Horizon

The increase is said to only affect people who buy wind policies; however, it comes on the heels of an increase approved in Oct. 2009 to insurance coverage premiums by an average of 5.4 percent statewide for customers who buy full-coverage policies.

According to recently-published reports, the windstorm rate change will take place in Feb. 2010 and may affect varying counties differently. For instance, some areas will see increases of up to 11 percent while others may see cuts of up to 9 percent to reflect the likelihood of windstorm damage to the home.

Rate Increase Meets Criticism

The Associated Industries of Florida has criticized the rate increase, but not for reasons you might think. The business group noted that increases need to be higher in order for Citizens to raise enough money to pay claims after a major hurricane. They argue that if enough money isn’t raised, individuals and businesses that are not Citizens customers will have to foot the bill for the company’s deficit if it is hit by a major windstorm.

While there is no proposal on the table to raise rates again this year, Citizens has been approved to raise rates as much as 10 percent a year. This may help to make up the difference – to the chagrin of customers who will have to pay much higher monthly premiums.

In real estate, it is usually said that it is a transaction between A, the homeowner and B, the homebuyer. Therefore, there can only be one person who comes out ahead in the end. This type of thinking really makes for a cutthroat type of approach where everyone looks out for his/her own interests. Both parties involved in a real estate transaction have a considerable stake on the outcome of the sale and neither party wants to lose more money or pay more money than they really have to in order to get the deal done.

However, when you think of home warranty benefits, you can actually say that both parties will benefit so that there will be no winners or losers. Considering how hard the real estate market has been hit by the negative financial situation that has loomed over the country’s economy, it is good to know that there are still things that homeowners can do to make a home more attractive and valuable.

Yes, a home warranty does actually make a home more attractive to a buyer and perhaps more valuable. If you consider two houses which are essentially the same, the one that will stand out is the house that has a warranty on systems and built-in appliances. This is what a home warranty covers. It is not home insurance, but when added to home insurance, it certainly makes a home stand out even more in the selling process.

If you are a homeowner, try putting yourself in the buyer’s shoes for a moment and you will see why your home would be more attractive. All you have to do is go back and remember the apprehension you felt when you bought your first home. What kind of home inspection report did you receive? Did the home have major issues when you bought it? Did you have to spend a lot of extra money fixing major issues which would have been covered by a home warranty? Well, I guess the point lies in the fact that a home warranty will generally cover plumbing and wiring so that both you and the seller can rest easier if there is a problem. How old are the appliances in the house? Have you already had to pay to repair some of them?

There are many people who do not want to move into a house and have to start spending money in buying appliances, and especially not during these trying times. It will benefit a homeowner to cover the systems and built-in appliances with a home warranty. It will certainly give more assurance to a buyer who is having doubts about buying a house that might need major repairs six months down the line.

It all comes down to both parties having a bit of peace of mind and being able to concentrate on other matters. After all, anyone who has bought a home knows that there are many things involved and that peace and tranquility can really help you get organized and approach things from a much better perspective. After all, what’s an extra $50 or $60 per month, which is what an average warranty will cost, if you are going to be able to rest a little bit easier?

Insurers are warning that around 7 out of 10 of us seriously underestimate the value of our wardrobe when taking out home contents cover.

LV= estimates the value of the average woman’s wardrobe to be a staggering £7,000 which includes £2,000 worth of jewellery and watches. Most of us, on the other hand, estimate the value of our wardrobes to be around £3,000 i.e. less than half the true figure.

Men’s clothes and accessories are perhaps unsurprisingly worth less than their female counterparts at £5000 but this will often include expensive business suits and sportswear.

Although it is relatively unusual to lose the entire contents of one’s wardrobe, fires and floods do happen and the cost of replacements, should you be inadequately insured, should be enough to make you sit down and carry out a proper wardrobe valuation.

LV= offers the following advice:

• Consider each part of your wardrobe separately, rather than just trying to come up with a figure. For instance, consider the following categories: work clothes, casual outfits, evening wear, sports clothes including ski wear, underwear, outdoor coats and jackets, footwear (e.g. boots, trainers, and shoes)
• Work out separately what your handbags, suitcases, carry-on luggage and sports bags are worth.
• Calculate the value of jewellery, both everyday and valuable. If you have any items worth over £1500 notify your insurer.
• Take photos of any unusual or expensive items which may help in any claims which need to be made.
• Think about adding accidental cover to your policy if it does not come as standard.

A new study released in Nov. 2009 showed that Americans are not utilizing all of the discounts available to them when it comes to their homeowner and auto insurance. The study was released by the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA) for Trust Choice.

Study Results

From those surveyed regarding their home insurance policies, 34 percent admitted that they are probably not taking advantage of all of the home insurance discounts they could – or they simply didn’t know that discounts were available. This number represents a percentage of 53 million households.

In regards to auto insurance, more than 20 percent of car owners were not taking advantage of auto insurance discounts, or didn’t know they existed.

Americans Throwing Away Much-Needed Money

The vice president of agent development with IIABA, Madelyn Flannagan, commented on the results of the study by noting that many Americans may be “foolishly” throwing away money because they fail to ask about the homeowners and auto insurance discounts they may qualify for. She noted that many companies offer impressive discounts, often based on region or other unique factors, and if customers don’t ask about what’s available, they’re truly missing out on savings.

Don’t Throw Your Money Away

If reading this article has made you think about the discounts you may be missing out on, don’t continue to throw your money away. You could ask your current insurers about discounts you could be receiving with auto or homeowners insurance. Also, it’s a good idea to shop around for coverage with different insurers to see if other discounts are available to you.

The greater your commitment is to saving on insurance, the greater your chances are of doing just that.

Do you think you’re spending too much on homeowners are auto insurance?